Entangled Endearment
by maori-chama
Summary: Hidan x OC. A female Jashinist is imprisoned by her village for her crimes, but a certain young man seeks to break her out. ANBU, conflict, and revenge ensue. She wants to teach him the ways of Jashin, but he wants something more.
1. Ch I: Debut

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

A trickle of blood dripped down my forearm, thickening into a dark stream. The source of it was the blade held in my hands. I held my arm up and as the blood drew near my elbow, I lifted it down and licked up the length of my arm.

_Ah, that familiar taste._

Blood has a flavor that is hard to convey with words. It has a metallic, bittersweet property to it yet it's the fact that it imbues life which entices me. It flows through all of us. Some people fear it because the deep crimson it holds is akin to nothing. Not even the rose could symbolize blood in that blood not only holds characteristics of life and therefore love, but of death as well.

But who am I to talk of love? I've never personally been through a thought process where I arrived at the conclusion that I loved somebody. I've learned that there's a difference between love and blood lust; I can tell you that much, haha.

A gurgled scream escaped below me and I was brought back to reality.

The man in front of me had a gash on his side trailing from his abdomen to his spine as well as many cuts along his arms and legs. It was caused by my ritual, a sacrifice. I'd gotten lost in my thoughts when I'd struck myself with the blade and remembered the bliss lord Jashin grants me.

Oh, that bliss! I haven't been able to do a sacrifice in almost two weeks now, and the urge has been bubbling up inside me. The man in front of me had been on his way home from grocery shopping when I'd knocked him out and carried him to the outskirts of the village. We were in one of the caves underneath Takigakure. I found a pretty good target seeing as I'd gotten a sacrifice and some groceries in the process. Huzzah!

Thoughts aside, the man below me continued to make rasping noises. I bent my knees and lifted his head to see his face. Blood dripped down his nose and was smothered across his mouth and on the slick ground. Letting go, I gripped the blade and pointed it towards my foot. His eyes widened helplessly as I stabbed my foot again and again until my blade met the ground. Bones could be heard cracking from both my and his foot. I slowed my movements as pleasure took over my body.

The ritual caused our bodies to be linked together, and the pain that was transferred to him bounced back to me as pleasure. The way I feel from sacrifice rituals are interesting because it lies somewhere between a drunken ecstasy and an immediate high.

This ritual had lasted longer than the usual hour or two so I decided to wrap it up. I stood in the circle drawn with blood and held the blade at an angle to my heart. The man suddenly began gasping in fear as he watched and I smiled back at him. This victim was a wonderful one and because I'd been taking my time with him, I decided to be merciful and let him die slowly as well. Giggling at the thought, I pierced myself with the blade, letting it rip its way to my back slowly.

"I give your heathen soul to Jashin-sama, so that you might be able to understand the true value of life…"

The man's heart gave out before the blade was even half way through my body, yet the pleasure was incomparable.

* * *

Steaming hot water washed over my hair and dripped down my body in the shower. Showers after rituals were the best because water dripped into my wounds that had yet to close and the stinging sensation was calming, numbing.

I took a sponge and began scrubbing away at my skin until the dried blood came off. Some of it was stubborn and took a hard brush to clean off.

When everything seemed in order, I turned off the shower and stepped out, wrapping myself in a short towel. I clambered to bed and lied down. My wet hair soaking the pillow felt nice as usual. The day had been long.

The apartment that I live in is a nice one. I'm fifteen years old, but I don't work as I just take the money I need from my sacrifices. Life was easy as a female Jashinist.

Sometimes I wonder if this is the life that I want, though. I'm actually a ninja for the Waterfall Village. I do missions sometimes, however I don't feel very loyal to the place. In fact, the last village head was murdered by a Waterfall nin the village had wronged, but I believe that he was right in what he did. I don't remember his name, but he was sent to go fight the Hokage, and when he came back defeated, the village scorned him. He sought rightful revenge. In fact, I think I look up to the guy. To be able to fight someone you know is stronger than you just for the sake of the village takes courage, but to turn around and kill your own brethren when you've been betrayed takes a true sense of justice.

These thoughts filled my head as I dozed off into sleep.

* * *

I jolted awake. The sun had barely risen through the window outside my bed, yet something felt off today.

I got out of bed and dressed in the usual tank top and skirt, going to the kitchen for breakfast. As I sat at the countertop eating toast, I wondered to myself. Last night I had done a sacrifice, so why did today feel odd? Usually the days after rituals were bright and everything felt refreshing. I shook the thought off and decided to go out for some fresh air.

The sun was still working its way up to the sky and it lit a beautiful scarlet sunrise. I walked down my street, gazing at the buildings. Things were silent as people inside were just waking up for another day. The fresh air was wonderful, feeling cold against my warm insides. I continued walking until I found myself at the market. There, I found a curious sight.

A woman was talking, almost shouting at a merchant in front of her. The merchant looked groggy and without sleep as she demanded where something was. Actually, no… she was looking for where someone was, a man she claimed to be her husband. She was waving a familiar grocery bag in front of his face. Oh shit. Did I forget to grab the guy's groceries?!

"He went out shopping last night for our anniversary dinner!" She shouted. "He promised me a steak dinner, but he didn't come home!" Her shouts began turning into sobs.

The merchant replied with, "I'm sorry miss, but I don't remember which way he went last night! Just go home from here and decide which way he might have gone."

He suddenly turned to me with, "Hey, I remember you! You saw that man who bought steak last night, didn't you? You were right behind him. Do you remember which way he went after he bought it?"

Him speaking to me caught me off guard. "Erm… sorry, I don't. I was just looking at your… uh, steaks, too. He seemed to know which steaks were the best ones to buy so I was just watching him." My mouth twitched into a smile.

"But I watched you follow him, too." He replied. "My house was in the same direction." I quickly lied.

"Well then which direction did he GO?!" The woman shouted. She turned to the merchant, "He didn't just run off, because he left this steak he bought in the middle of an ally!" She turned back to me with a sudden angry look on her face, "did you do something to him?!"

I held my hands up in a defensive manner but my face still read guilty. I needed to get away. "Look lady, I don't know where your man ran off to! Maybe you should have kept a better eye on him!" With that, I ran off. I heard their shouts behind me, but I didn't have time to worry about it.

I sprinted down the street and heard footsteps following me. I ran down an alley and took several turns in random directions. I couldn't stop now. Getting caught was not an option.

I kept running, not satisfied that I was safe until I was lost. After stopping, I collapsed to the ground to take a breather. This convinced me that I needed to be more careful when selecting victims for my rituals.

I continued breathing heavily, when suddenly my head felt clear and and my thoughts became lucid. I realized this as Jashin wanting to speak with me, and knelt down. I took my rosary displaying the Jashin circle out of my shirt and held it gently in my hands.

"Jashin-sama, I am here."

The air then became condensed and the humidity shot up causing sweat to immediately bead upon my forehead. My breathing slowed as the air became chilled despite the heat I felt. A figure resembling a shadow appeared before me. The figure materialized into what I knew as Jashin-sama. Jashin had masculine features yet held the impression that he was genderless and inhuman, as he was simply God.

Black clothing of unknown material cloaked him and his unkempt hair suited him. His face was eerily pale yet his features were exactly symmetrical, ghostly, and divine.

"Hera, I must speak with you. You are young yet you have followed me faithfully for one year as of today," his voice rang out. It did not come from the figure, but surrounded me, filling the sudden silence with an otherworldly noise known as language. His lips moved, yet his voice did not match his expressions.

"Your loyalty will be tested today. I trust that you will pull through and not let emotion waver your sense of judgement."

"Yes, Jashin-sama. May I ask one question?" I replied, hesitant. "Yes, dear one." He replied.

"Do you consider love to be a sin?"

This halted Jashin's all-encompassing voice. He seemed to be considering his words, but I could not read his face. "You will be given an answer at the end of your trial. That is, if you complete it."

"Yes, Jashin-sama."

With that, the chill in the air vanished as Jashin's figure swept away with a sudden breeze.

* * *

Hello, and thanks for reading. I have this story planned out and will be writing chapters and updating when time allows. I haven't written fanfiction in several years, however, so if you have any comments or critique, please PM me! I'd love to hear it.

Please rate and review. Happy reading.


	2. Ch II: Captured

Now that the meeting between Jashin and I was over, I needed to go home. I had shaken the merchant and crazed lady off of my trail, but I still needed to be cautious.

Creeping around a corner, I glanced around. No one in sight. It was mid-morning by now and the sun was working its way up to an afternoon sky. I leapt to the roof of a building and hopped along, careful to keep out of sight of passers-bys. I had gotten myself as lost as could be, but seeing the village from above helped me find a point of direction. Soon, I made it to the center of the village. The market was a ways off, so I decided it should be safe to blend in here with the crowd. I changed my appearance to that of a different woman with a transformation jutsu and jumped down.

As I walked along, people of all ages and appearances crowded around me, heading in different directions. They all seemed to have their own objective in mind, not thinking of the world surrounding them. As I trudged forward, my feet took me down a less crowded path towards the housing development that I lived in. Only a few more blocks to go.

Suddenly I was thrown off balance and my mind numbed as something pulled me backwards. My head hit the ground painfully and my eyes closed from the impact but then shot open to see two large men. They smirked down at me.

"Hey lady, where ya going?" "Why not have a little fun with us?" They spoke. Their faces were rugged and criminal crowned with sadistic smiles.

All I could do was frown as I backed away from them on the ground. I needed to keep up my image of a defenseless woman so that I wasn't found out.

They eagerly stepped forward and grabbed me by my arms harshly. The first man yanked up my tucked shirt while the second held me down. My expression changed to one of horror.

I kicked the one holding me down while ducking out of the way of the second. He smirked. "Feisty, eh?" The man I had kicked spoke. "This one'll be good." His partner replied. They jumped towards me and I realized that they must have been at least jounin level ninjas with the speed that they had.

They grabbed me and forcefully held me down, my hair dirtying against the ground. The first man took both of my arms and held them behind my back as I was laying down. I stopped struggling then to give them the impression that I have given up, but slowly reached to my skirt's belt loop. There I had secured a pocket knife and quickly unbuttoned it as the second man was trying to undo my clothing.

My sudden flail surprised both of them and I leapt to my feet, knife in hand. Their faces turned from cocky to disgusted. "Looks like you don't want to co-operate." The man that had been undoing my clothes said. "We'll have to teach you a lesson." His comrade added.

They slowly walked toward me and I held the knife with as much menace as a defenseless-looking woman could muster. Each man took one step after the other until the one on right leapt towards me and grabbed my wrist. The other took a swing and punched me square in the jaw. Shit.

My transformation jutsu poofed into smoke as the hit took its toll on my body. The two men jumped back in surprise and watched as my younger, shorter self appeared. The first man looked even more disgusted than he had before at almost taking a young girl while the other's face paled. He pointed a finger at me, "Intruder! You're a spy, sneaking in here!"

What a day to forget my headband at the house.

His friend turned to him. "Yeah, she's got to be a spy from a neighboring country." He then turned to me and took a closer look at me. "A genin, though? You must be a prodigy to be sent here from your village on a mission to infiltrate the Waterfall Village—alone." He frowned. "You're done here."

He then grabbed me by my sore arm once again and pinned me to the wall. "Go find a jounin and some rope so we can bring her to the village head!" He shouted to his comrade who still had shock written on his face. "Y-yes!" He replied, running off.

The ninja who had me held down turned back to me with a serious expression. "You and your village will pay for this. Is this a challenge, or are you just provoking us?" I stayed silent, thinking things out. "Well?" He spoke.

My thought process escaped me. What was I supposed to do? If I was brought to the village head then I surely wouldn't be persecuted for being an infiltrator but I would be for murdering the crazy lady's husband. Not good.

He grabbed my face with his stubby fingers and jerked my head so that we made eye contact. "I asked you a question." He said, dead serious. My expression changed from lifeless to a glare. He was definitely a jounin-level ninja, however I've been a chuunin for two years now so I'm sure my skills were at his level or higher. He looked like the kind of guy who'd just chase a man's tailcoat or run errands anyways. Menacing, but with no real threat.

I spat in his face.

Oh _that_ did it.

"Aargh-you bitch!" He screamed, eyes shut in reflex.

His grip loosened and I bolted below him, then down the street. I felt worn out from the day's running already, but I couldn't lose this race. Alleys passed by and I frantically searched for my home. My plan: go inside my apartment and use another transformation jutsu but with a Waterfall Village headband on this time. The familiar building came into sight, and I leapt towards it. My footsteps echoed down the concrete hall and I fumbled with my keys to open my door.

I felt glee as I heard the lock click open and I reached to turn the knob. The turning in my hand felt strange, however, and I froze.

One of the head jounin were in my doorway, having opened the door for me.

* * *

I slowly awoke as my head was pounding. I don't remember getting hurt? My eyes cracked open just enough to see and I realized I was on the floor of a cell. Great. Worst case scenario.

Two men were just inside my peripheral vision. "...As I said, she has something to do with the murder. She has to. Maybe she didn't kill him; maybe she's an accomplice." The other man sighed. "Alright well we don't have any interrogation ninja right now since they're all out on long-term missions. We'll have to send her to another village to see if she has any information… if she won't co-operate with us, that is." With that, he turned to me and I figured he knew I was awake. I realized the other man was actually the merchant that had run after me earler that day. "I bet she won't. She didn't when I tried to ask her a simple question." He glared at me.

I sat up at this point. The merchant jumped in surprise. The taller man who I recognized as the head jounin who must have captured me, walked forward. "Well, will you cooperate with us? If you're found to be innocent, you're free to go."

I stayed silent, simply staring back at him.

"Guess not. You'll be going to konohagakure, where I know a friend of mine in the interrogation force who would be happy to deal with you." I only knew of a few people from the leaf village as I went on missions there, but the interrogation force?! I've heard a lot of rumors about them.

"We leave tomorrow."

* * *

Here I am, walking down the road. I'd be such a lovely day with the warm breeze and birds singing if it weren't for the rope binding my hands together.

It took quite a while to get to the leaf village, especially on foot with walking speed. I kept silent the entire way and the man I was with didn't try to make conversation, thankfully.

The forest surrounding the village still amazed me, as it did every time I traveled this way. My village is surrounded by rock and water, so naturally there aren't many trees around.

As we entered the village, people bustled around us. We headed towards one of the tallest buildings and entered. A guard saw the waterfall nin's standard grey uniform and headband and asked, "why have you come here?"

"We need to see Ibiki Morino of the Interrogation force." He then leaned forward a whispered something to the leaf nin that I couldn't manage to catch.

"Oh, I see now. I remember you. Come this way."

He started walking and my captor followed with the rope binding my hands dragging me along. We climbed three sets of stairs before arriving at a door. The guard knocked. "Come in." A feminine voice said.

We entered to see a circular room with a desk in the center. A woman sat in it promptly but the papers strewn everywhere made her look a bit out of place. "Hello, hokage-sama." The man connected to my rope said.

"Hello. Why have you come to our village?" She asked simply. "I have a girl here who is suspected of a crime but she won't speak. I'm an old friend of Ibiki and would like to see if he can crack her silence."

She leaned forward, propping her head on her hand. "Is that so? And what sort of crime would that be?" She asked, looking at me. Her gaze wasn't harsh like the ninjas beside me, but it held no pity either. "She is suspected of the murder of a simple merchant, but we've been having… similar issues as well. Many citizens in our village have been murdered, one after the other. Almost once a month now. I know she knows something about what's going on." He spoke, glaring at me and tightening his grip on the rope.

I gazed back at him, my expression telling nothing. The hokage looked serious now. "What kind of murders were these? What did the corpses look like?"

The man looked slightly surprised, but answered. "Well, most of them had small scrapes and scratches but they all had their heart stabbed through with an unknown weapon. We never found the bodies until a week or so after their death because they were all found in different parts of the underground caves in takigakure."

The hokage's gaze began turning even darker.

"A rouge nin would have no reason to murder random civilians. And your village isn't at war with any other countries right now. We may have a Jashinist on our hands."

My body froze and my eyes widened. I quickly regained my posture but the hokage must have noticed. She got up from her desk, staring at me.

She took a step towards me. Then another.

Terror was building in my stomach but I stared at her with no expression, simply eyes widened. Our eyes never left each other. She stood before me and said nothing.

Leaning down, she pulled my shirt collar and a shiny bead was revealed. Taking it, she pulled the rest out to reveal my Jashin pendant. My gaze slowly turned into a challenging one. But to my surprise she yanked it off of my neck.

My eyes didn't change. "Give it back." I said sternly.

She was glaring down at me again. She had absolutely no pity in her eyes now, but she spoke of it.

"What a shame. You were so young."


	3. Ch III: Imprisoned

Water dripped from the ceiling. It was such an offending sound… never stopping.

I'm in a cell. I've been in here for long, too long. The people outside have notified me of time's passing. One guard was a bit smaller in stature than the others, and told me he went and checked out my files. He knows I'm a murderer, yet he was kind enough to let me know my birthday has passed twice since I was placed in here.

Two years. That means I must be seventeen now. I've always imagined myself growing into a young woman a bit more gracefully. Now I was dressed in a tattered prisoner's uniform with nothing to my name. I had imagined myself two or three years from when I was fifteen as a happy takigakure ninja, still completing missions by day and sacrifices by night.

Those dreams were long gone.

I knew that my immortality had passed since I hadn't made a sacrifice for several months. I could tell this because my body felt weaker. It could be from the grits that they fed me everyday, but something else was off. It was if my organs had to work to keep functioning and my tendons had to strain themselves to keep my muscles together. Is this what mortal people feel like? Death felt as though it could come at anytime. The thought was frightening.

But I still had hope. I exercised every day for those two years. I kept going.

This was because Jashin had spoken to me. Even without my pendant, I tried to contact him. I had rolled the thought over in my mind again and again that I had failed his 'test' and he would no longer allow me to follow him. Yet one day, he answered.

* * *

The sun was just rising as could be seen through my tiny barred window. My hands were clammy with moisture from the heat of the cell, but I pushed them together to try once more. "Jashin-sama, I am here."

A familiar cold breeze swept through the damp heated cell. My eyes widened in shock. The feeling was so unfamiliar, and my mind rejoiced at meeting my lord once again. Jashin's figure appeared, just as divine and everlasting as the last time I had seen him.

"Hera, you have been trying to contact me for several months now. You have lost your pendant and our connection has been broken." His all-encompassing voice spoke. It filled the small cell with a glorious tone.

My happiness faltered. "Yes… my pendant has been taken from me. I am ashamed."

Jashin paused. Again he seemed to be thinking, but his expression told nothing. "I have been watching over you. You still appear to be a loyal servant. Therefore, this task I ask of you: stay and continue your meaningless life here. If your mind and faith remain intact despite your current circumstances, I will send one of my own to you. However, he will be yours in due time."

I tried to take in all that he was saying and simply replied with, "Yes, Jashin-sama."

With that, the chill in the air vanished along with his figure.

* * *

What had Jashin meant that day long ago? I've been here two years, so it must have only been half of a year when he had contacted me. He hasn't contacted me since then. But I still have hope. I've been faithful and murmured prayers to Jashin for at least an hour each day. On multiple occasions a guard tried to stop me, but my prayers never ceased.

But I simply had no clue when Jashin would send a follower as he had promised. And what did he mean when that person would be 'my own' in time? These questions had been burning in my mind since the last time that we spoke.

The day was growing closer to sunset, so I layed on my bed and rested, exhausted.

* * *

The sun shining through the my barred window awoke me. I looked over and my breakfast was already sitting there.

I stared at it. Grits. Everyday, three times a day. They were so disgusting but I crawled over and began spooning it up to eat. Have to survive somehow. The taste was bitter this morning, and as I ate something moved in my peripheral vision. Quickly glancing over, I sighed. It was just a mouse.

...A mouse? I inched towards the cute little rodent. It couldn't have been too old as it was so small. It was sitting in a corner gnawing on a large piece of bread. Crumbs scattered on the ground as it nibbled away.

And then an idea popped into my head. It was stupid and dangerous, but it just might work.

I leapt toward the rodent and it suddenly began squeaking in surprise as I grabbed it. My hand reached forward and took the piece of bread, which I popped into my mouth. I felt a sharp pain as it bit me and I dropped it by reflex, breathing heavily as a drop of blood dripped onto the dirty ground.

Success.

The bread tasted of dirt, but it had a flavor I hadn't remembered in so long. The mouse must have stole it from the cafeteria where employees eat, as it was fresh. I could tell that much. I savored the bread, then leant down and lapped up the blood the had risen from the mouse bite.

I layed back and sighed. This better work.

My eyes closed as I drifted into sleep.

* * *

My eyes darted open shaking my senses aware that I was no longer in a dreamless sleep. My body was shaking all over and a burning sweat covered my body. All of my muscles felt strained.

What was going on? My head felt so clouded and my vision switched from blurry to double vision, then back to blurry. I tried to move my fingers, and although I saw them moving, I couldn't feel them moving. Confusion turned into fear and my stomach lurched. All of a sudden my body was bent over and I started heaving. My breath came short, as if there was no oxygen in the cell anymore.

"Are you okay?" A guard asked outside the cell, looking at me with an expression of only slight concern.

I couldn't respond. My body was moving against my will, and pretty soon my breakfast came up the way it had gone down. Puke splattered onto the dirty ground and onto my clothes.

The guard ran off and all I could do was stare at the ground like a crazed person. I clutched my hands to my head as my mind faded in and out. I couldn't pass out here. _I had to get out._

My body was on fire and my muscles lost their grip. I fell onto the ground, my eyes half-lidded. The cell's monotone blurred into a single gray color and everything turned a hazy white. I heard yelling down the hallway and the blurred figures of people stepped into view. Their yelling slowed to a stop as my mind went blank and everything turned into nothing.

* * *

Light. My mind awoke and as my eyes shot open, all I could see was white. My limbs jerked around to make sense of the situation, but nothing happened.

"She's awake!" "Hey, go get more straps!"

Nothing made sense. I could feel my throat burning from my little episode a while ago. Or was it thirst? How long was I out?

The white slowly turned into a single light as I realized I was on a table looking up at a bright lamp. My head was weighed down with a migraine, but I managed to lift it up enough to see that I was strapped down to a table in a hospital.

The fever temperature was returning. Sweat covered my body. This has never happened before. I'd never gotten sick when I was immortal. Life felt fleeting but I had to hold on.

I began thrashing about as doctors ran in with more straps. "Let me go!" I yelled.

"I'm sorry miss, we can't do that." One doctor spoke. "And why not?!"

"You've contracted a serious illness only carried in diseased mice. If we let you go, you'll die within a week." My eyes widened.

I laid my head back down and starting thinking. I've still got to get out… this is my only chance. My body disobeyed my mind as I started a coughing fit, and the doctor simply stared at me. The others began strapping me to the table better, and I glared at them.

"You'll need to rest here… I'll be back."

The head doctor left as did the others. Only a nurse stayed at the door, watching for people. My mind was hazy but I forced myself to stay conscious. This could be my only chance to escape. I had to think…

My mind began to drift off once again but a huge explosion was suddenly heard. I could hear the crumbling of the building and then another was set off. The nurse panicked and ran down the hall. I was jolted awake, but I couldn't get out. My arms yanked about, but nothing worked. The straps were too tight.

An intruder siren began going off. Doctors and nurses could be seen running down the hallway in different directions, not sure whether to escape or save the patients.

_This is my chance._ I was happy but the head doctor ran into the room just then. He was covered in a fearful sweat, yet smirked. "There are patients that need to be saved before a convict like you. But I'll be back." With that, he ran back off down the hallway.

I've got to get out. My body struggled with the straps once again, but within five minutes I only got one leg strap off, and I was exhausted. This was a failure. My plan failed. I might as well pass back out, so I closed my eyes to rest. My body needed sleep anyway, and I could feel it relaxing and the sounds escaping my ears.

* * *

Rolling. The sound of rolling wheels could be heard. My eyes shot open for who knows what time today, and all I could see were ceiling tiles flying by. The main doctor must be wheeling me to safety. "You should've just left me in there!" I shouted, my voice cracking.

"Why?!" He responded.

"Because it's not like I'm getting out of here, so you should have just left me to die!"

"What the hell are you talking about? We're getting the fuck out of here!"

I turned around then, and my vision cleared to see a guy pushing me at running speed. The table bounced around, but I could see that he had silver hair slicked back and shocking purple eyes. They were squinted in an angry expression, however, and he stared ahead as he ran me down the hallway. People could be heard shouting down the hallway and he glanced back with a "Fuck."

He suddenly turned directions and almost flipped the cart in the process. The table halted and he began working furiously at the straps, loosening and undoing them. I helped him as my arms were freed, and I hopped off in joy.

My smile faded as my legs refused to work and I fell straight down. "Damn it, you're useless, aren't you?" I glared at him but my expression changed as I felt my body lifted up and thrown over his shoulder. I didn't notice but his body was surprisingly built for his age as he lifted me easily. What level of ninja was he?

He once again ran down the hallway but with greater speed this time. I could see Takigakure ninjas at the end of the hall running to catch up to us. "Hurry up, they're behind us!"

He yelled in irritation and turned into a patient room. "Wait… what are you doing?! We have to get out of here!" I shouted.

He smirked at me and turned towards a window. "We're only on the second floor. You'll be fine."

The conversion was cut short as he leapt through the window, shattering it.


	4. Ch IV: On the Run

We were on the run. The man I held onto gasped as he ran as fast as he could carrying two, yet managed to breathe out his name, Hidan.

I was a criminal, and I wondered what sort of guy would save a criminal. This thought flashed through my mind as he sprinted through town with people staring oddly at us from all around. We turned a corner, then another.

Takigakure ninja were following close behind, no matter how much he tried to shake them off. In my current condition, I couldn't possibly use taijutsu or ninjutsu. I excelled in genjutsu though, so I figured that it just may work.

I watched as the ninjas began catching up to us as I was facing backwards on Hidan's shoulder. They were probably jonin, so if they saw me weaving signs they would immediately break the jutsu.

Right as we turned another corner, I wove the signs for a genjutsu of mine and waited just until they appeared before whispering "distance jutsu!"

The three of them suddenly began slowing down as the distance seemed to stretch between us to them. One of them realized what was happening, and broke the jutsu, running ahead of the others.

"What was that?" Hidan asked. "I tried a genjutsu, but one of them broke though. I think we can take him alone." I spoke. "Alright."

He jumped up onto one of the building roofs and leapt towards the edge of town. The only way in and out of Takigakure is through the giant waterfall guarding the village, however there are many underground caves that are accessible from there, as I had used them for years in my rituals.

"Right before the waterfall, take a left there." I told him. He ran towards it and down into the cave. Four different paths extended in different directions, but I lead him down the ones that I use. I knew this place by heart. I'm sure that the takigakure ninja did too, however, as he followed closely behind.

Once we reached a clearing, we stopped and faced him. Taking a closer look, I recognized him as one of the jonin that had trained genin in the same year as me. "Why, Hera? Why did you murder those people?" He asked. Concern was written all over his face. "You were one of the best genin of your year and went on to become a strong chunin. When did all of this begin?"

I pitied him, however I held no contempt for the path that I had chosen. I stepped off of Hidan's shoulders and my legs were wobbly, but could stand on their own. He looked at me and reached towards his pocket, pulling out something. My eyes widened when he pulled out a Jashin pendant. "Here, this is yours. I was told to grab it before I found you." He stated.

I reached forward and held it softly. Two years. I hadn't seen it in so long and treasured it more than anything. It represented my link with Jashin, and I had been helpless without it.

I grasped the chain and held it up. "This is why." I said to the jounin. "My religion demands the sacrifices of lives, and that is just what I have done."

His expression changed to one of anger. "That's crazy! Who would join such a cult?!"

I stayed silent. My gaze turned to Hidan. "Hand me a kunai." He tossed me one, and I quickly stabbed my hand and let the blood flow to the ground. The pain was excruciating and Hidan yelled at me with, "what the hell are you doing?!"

I looked up to Hidan with the effects of the injury written on my face. "Go cut him with a kunai and bring it to me." He looked taken aback for a moment, but then agreed. As he ran off, I used my bare foot to draw the familiar Jashin circle. I sat down in it, too exhausted to stand. Clinking sounds could be heard bouncing off of the walls of the cave as Hidan sparred with the jounin. I wondered what his power level was… he was well-built in stature yet could only be around my age. Was he stronger than me? As I watched him battle, it struck me as curious when I couldn't recognize what village his ninja headband denoted. Three slanted lines reminded me of the rain village, yet they were significantly different.

Ten minutes passed and it was obvious that they were on an equal footing. He couldn't overcome him, so I had to step in. I couldn't honestly step anywhere in my condition though, so I settled with pulling out three senbon and throwing them, one at a time. It was tricky throwing them with Hidan's slightly erratic battle style. "What the fuck?!" Hidan yelled. "You could have at least warned me!"

The third senbon made contact with the jounin's face, and I threw kunai at him to keep him busy as Hidan ran off after it. This didn't really work at as the jounin smirked and ran dead-straight for me. "Hidan, the senbon!" I yelled. He threw it right past the jounin and I grabbed it, licked the blood off, and immediately shoved the senbon in my foot's achilles tendon. The jounin yelled in pain as he collapsed right before the Jashin circle.

"Hidan, get over here and restrain him!" He looked surprised but again obeyed. He ran over and took him by the arms, pinning him backwards. I was sweating, but looked down at him with a smirk.

"I still don't understand…. why would you join such a cult?!" The man yelled from the slick ground. I simply smiled and slowly drove the senbon into my thigh. He winced in pain as the smile on my face grew wider. My thigh felt the initial pinch and shear of pain, but pleasure soon replaced it. "Because… I've finally found God. Jashin is sublime, and his existence blends the concepts of pleasure and pain." His face twisted in disgust. "What god would bring people only suffering?!"

My expression remained unchanged. "He has brought suffering, yes, but understanding can only be brought with pain." I took the senbon, and held it to my chest. Hidan cut in, "what are you doing?!" I looked to him with a smile. "Calm down, I'm immortal. Or at least I used to be… in order to regain my immortality I must make a sacrifice to Jashin-sama, however I will probably pass out from two year's worth of being mortal. I don't know how long, a couple hours maybe?" "That's too goddamn risky! We're supposed to be getting out of here."

I held the senbon closer and ignored the pleas of the man below me. "Please protect me until then." The senbon was driven straight through my body to my heart, and I bit my tongue at the sudden unfamiliar pain. The jonin coughed out blood while it dribbled down my chin. I wrenched the senbon free and stabbed myself repeatedly to ensure death.

Blackness quickly took over.

* * *

Chirping… I can hear chirping. My eyes opened with difficulty, and a headache swept across my consciousness. It's dark out and all I can feel is the cool dew of the grass on my neck. Despite the darkness of the night, the moon and stars shone brilliantly and the fireflies created their own light.

I sat up slowly, gazing around. The cool, fresh air tasted delicious. Two years of living in a damp cell had taken a toll on my psyche.

"Looks like sleeping beauty finally woke up." The voice startled me, and I swung around in fear. The sight of a familiar man left me relieved. Silver hair, with purple eyes shining an odd violet in the firelight.

"How long was I out?" I spoke, throat dry.

"This was the third night." He answered, serious. My eyes widened. "I was starting to worry that you'd fallen into a coma or some shit like that." He stated, eyes downcast. He leaned forward to grab a pot and poured something into a bowl before handing it to me.

"Stew?" I asked, voice cracking. "Yeah, but it's fucking nasty since all I had was some potatoes and curry powder." He responded. I didn't wait another moment before slurping down the hot liquid, not caring if it burnt the whole way down.

He waiting for me to finish before speaking.

"We've been traveling for three days now. Dad taught me some tricks for covering up our tracks, but its been taking a while to get back home since we're avoiding towns."

"Where do you live?" I asked, looking up from my empty bowl. "In the Land of Hot Water, with my family in Yugakure. We've been traveling along the border of Takigakure and the Fire country to get there."

I took a moment to process the information, listening as the fire cackled in the night. "I see...but I don't understand. Why did you come to save me… do you know who I am? What I've been charged of? My plan to develop an illness and escape from the hospital didn't really work out… but I would have found a way out anyway…"

Hidan suddenly turned towards me, demanding all of my attention. "My father told me to come save you. He told me that our fates are entangled together, and that we are to share the same path. He said that if I were to save you, then you would in turn guide me. I still don't really understand… my parents have always been so secretive about their work lives and I feel like this has something to do with it." He spoke. "My mother even saw me off when I left, stating that she would be expecting the return of two." He stated with a slight smile.

"Dad told me that I would understand if I gave you this," he said, where he paused and reached into a sack behind him.

What Hidan pulled out would forever change our destinies.

It was a leather-bound book with a familiar symbol placed on the front, and I instantly recognized it. My hands drew forward, shaking in anticipation as my fingers wrapped around it. "The Book of Jashin…"

I unwound the strings binding it and it fell open into my lap. Although it was written with a harsh scrawl, the words read all the same. Prayers and histories and remedies followed one after another.

Upon initiation, each Jashinist receives a pendant and a blank Book that one fills out for themselves. One writes in their Book habitually, filling the pages with knowledge gained from extensive prayer and research.

What held my interest was how old and comprehensive the Book in my trembling hands was. The Book was well-worn, easily exceeding several centuries. Each page held information that only those who had the divine right could possibly be exposed to. Every single page in the Book had been filled out, with words covering each inch of page. It was akin to perfect. A Jashinist instinctively knows where to place new information in their Book, as if they have an unconscious table of contents in their mind. This Book was complete. It was as if Jashin had blessed a man with everything there is to know about the religion of Jashin.

It was the work of a high-class priest. Hidan's father, to be exact.

The sudden chilled breeze upon my neck alerted me to Jashin's presence. I understood my task.

"I will teach you the ways of Jashin."


End file.
